


City of Mysteries: A Study in a Missing Will

by wsdsrdbw4096



Series: City of Mysteries [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Origin Story, Alternate Universe - 1960s, Gen, Martial Arts, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:15:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21579607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wsdsrdbw4096/pseuds/wsdsrdbw4096
Summary: The D7 version of Secret of the School Library and functions as Garfield Stephenson Wu's origin story in the City of Mysteries series.A series of thefts across Ottawa led to Garfield getting drawn into a race to find a missing will.
Series: City of Mysteries [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1484720
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue and first day at school

**Author's Note: After publishing an origin story for a new series that combines the 1960s and 1970s setting of Dimension Four with the darker and realistic setting of Dimension One, I figured that it would be fair for me to do the same treatment for my Garfield Stephenson Wu series.**

**As you may have noticed, his namesake is the title character of the comic strip _Garfield_.**

**Therefore, I'm going to make the disclaimer that in these stories, the Garfield mentioned and featured in the stories is Garfield Stephenson Wu, NOT Garfield the Cat from the comic strip of the same name.**

**Anyways, this new series is part of Dimension Seven, which basically combines the darker and realistic setting of Dimension One (Couple with references to real-world events) with the period 1960s and 1970s setting of Dimension Four.**

**As such, unlike Dimension Four, there's no floating timeline for this series and at the time of this story's setting, the Cold War was still ongoing, though just like Dimension One, there are still some differences between Dimension Seven and the real world.**

**For instance, Ottawa still has its streetcars running in the 1960s (In real-life, sadly, the last streetcar terminated services in Ottawa in 1959), and Union Station is still active as a railway station currently (The year this story takes place in is 1968; Sadly in real-life, that's two years after Ottawa Union Station was closed down and replaced by the current railway station located in Ottawa East).**

**For readers who understand Chinese: 這個虛構世界裡:國共內戰依然有爆發，結果也跟現實一樣。**

**不過這世界裡的臺灣在二次大戰後** **沒有** **被光復，並且在日本的1947年憲法實效後成為日本的內地之一，** **因此這世界裡的臺灣在大日本內的地位跟蘇格蘭在英國內的地位一樣。**

**另外，這世界的中華民國國民政府在國共內戰後目前(西元1968年、民國57年)實際管轄領地為金門和馬祖而已，並不像現實有包括臺灣。**

**這世界的東亞國家和地區裡，日本、臺灣、英屬香港和葡屬澳門圍靠左行駛的，其他國家都是靠右行駛的。**

**This story also contains dialogue in Chinese, which will be accompanied by translations.**

**In addition, this story functions as a retooling of Garfield's origin story for Dimension Four _Secret of the School Library_, which includes fleshing out the story's backdrop into a more realistic setting.**

**Another disclaimer: All events and characters presented in this story are entirely FICTIONAL, while all real-life locations are FICTIONALIZED. None of the events presented in this story have any connection to real-life figures or locations. This disclaimer APPLIES to all of my stories.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Prologue and first day of school

_June 26, 1962_

**Location: Puli, Taiwan**

It was a typical night in Puli, a small town located right in the geographic centre of Taiwan as most of the town prepares to wind down for the night.

The night markets were still sprawling with activity, and the playing of _A Maiden's Prayer_ can be heard in the streets as residents are alerted to the presence of the nearby garbage truck.

One particular garbage truck comes to a stop in front of a three-storey apartment, and the waiting residents immediately moved to have their garbage collected.

As that was happening, the scene shifts away from the people tossing their garbage into the trough at the rear of the truck and towards the dark, dimly-lighted alleyway nearby.

It was mostly crickets and silence while the full moon and the stars could be observed in the night sky.

All in a sudden, the silence was broken when footsteps can be heard racing past the bushes and a man was seen running away clutching a large purse.

The man in question was also holding a knife, and he was followed by a woman holding onto her ribs.

"救命!" (Help!) The woman wailed as she chased after the man clutching her purse. "叫警察!" (Call the police!)

Fully aware that the victim of his latest robbery was well behind him, the man continued running, intent on losing the woman that doesn't seem keen on giving up on her purse.

The scene then shifts back to the main street with the garbage truck, where another group of residents were grouped together a few blocks down the street and waiting for the garbage truck to arrive.

Among the group of residents waiting for the garbage truck were Melissa Lee (李宜月) and her four children, who were all holding a garbage bag.

As Melissa waited patiently for the garbage truck to approach, she turned towards her four children and saw David and the two sisters playing near the curb of the road.

"廣輝、宜蓮和國芳!" (David, Diana and Emma!) Melissa said sternly as she put down her garbage bag and walked towards the three children. "不要在馬路邊玩!" (Stop playing on the side of the road!)

As the siblings continued playing, Melissa stepped in with her arm reaching to them and continued, "馬路上有車子，一不小心你們會受傷的!" (There are cars on the road, if you're not careful you will get hurt!)

She then tugged the trio back to the sidewalk and continued, "了結嗎?" (Understood?)

David and his younger sisters only looked at their mother before nodding.

During this time, the oldest sibling, nine-year old Garfield, was holding the garbage bag his mother had discarded to him in order to go over and discipline his younger siblings.

As his mother pulled his brother and sisters back onto the sidewalk, Garfield perked up when he heard running from the nearby alleyway.

"叫警察!" (Call the police!) A woman's voice yelled from the alleyway, and Garfield turned towards the alleyway.

At that moment, the garbage truck pulled up, and as the crowd rushed over to toss their garbage into the truck, Melissa was about to have David and the sisters join her and their brother at the crowd when she saw Garfield wondering off into the dark alleyway.

"廣慶!" (Garfield!) Melissa shouted, though Garfield didn't stop as he continued into the alleyway.

Seeing that Garfield wasn't listening, Melissa swiftly grabbed David, Diana and Emma by the hands and tugged them towards the garbage bag Garfield had discarded.

"你們扶著垃圾袋。" (You three hold the garbage bag.) Melissa instructed before turning towards the dark alleyway, though it was that moment that it happened.

In the moment Melissa turned towards the alleyway, she, along with a few residents that had just finished tossing their garbage into the truck, spotted the man from earlier tripping over as he ran past a utility pole.

What drew her attention was the culprit responsible for tripping the man, which became apparent as Garfield emerged from his spot behind the utility pole after having had tripped over the man.

Immediately, Melissa marched right over to her eldest son as a few of the residents looked on.

"你這樣做是做什麼?" (What did you do that for?) Melissa demanded as she placed her hands on Garfield's shoulders and looked at him sternly.

Garfield simply pointed right on the wanted poster on the utility pole before pointing at the man he had just tripped, and Melissa and the elderly couple standing nearby looked at the poster.

The man Garfield had just tripped over had his mugshot on the wanted poster posted by the Nantou County Police, and the poster itself detailed the man's physical description and the charges he is wanted for.

Further reading of the details on the poster revealed that the man was wanted by the Nagasaki Prefecture Police for extortion and armed robbery and was considered to be armed and dangerous.

Melissa then turned towards Garfield as two of the bystanders immediately moved to restrain the man Garfield had just tripped, though before she could say something, the woman that was robbed earlier emerged at the scene.

Noting the way the woman was clutching at her ribs, one of the residents who had just finished throwing his garbage rushed back towards the garbage truck.

The driver was about to pull away when the resident knocked on the door, and he peeked out.

"打110。" (Call 110.) The resident advised as she pointed towards the scene.

Seeing the downed man and a few more bystanders tending to the robbery victim, the driver nodded before shifting the truck to neutral and picked up the telephone in the cab, connecting him directly to the dispatch centre.

* * *

A short while later, police were at the scene where the robber was handcuffed and taken to the back of the cruiser while paramedics look over the victim and patched her up.

Witness accounts soon led the officers to Melissa and Garfield, the latter that was credited with his quick-thinking that stopped the armed robber from making his getaway.

"你是一個很勇敢的男孩。" (You're a very brave boy.) The police officer, whose nameplate read "葉國朗" (Wilson Ia̍p), praised as he gently patted Garfield in the shoulder.

As Melissa looked at Garfield proudly, Officer Ia̍p gestured towards the man as he continued, "你是怎麼知道那位先生需要被阻止的?" (How did you know that that man needed to be stopped?)

Garfield simply shrugged. "聽到有人叫「叫警察」、注意到那張通緝海報上有那位先生的入案照，然後有注意到他拿著一個鐵定不屬於他的錢包和他肩膀上的刺青。" (Heard someone yelling "Call the police", noticed that wanted poster with his mug shot and observed the purse he was clutching that didn't belong to him and the tattoo on his shoulder.)

Ia̍p nodded thoughtfully before continuing, "那你是怎麼知道他手上的錢包是搶劫來的?" (Then how did you know that the purse he was clutching was robbed by him?)

Garfield's eyes twitched briefly before he began to explain things briefly, all of which were accompanied by flash visions.

GARFIELD'S FLASH VISION

As the flash vision closes up onto the victim's purse, Garfield's voice echoed.

"錢包上有汗水。現在天氣很涼，所以可以說錢包上的汗水是歹徒從被害人跑走期間留在錢包的。" (There was sweat smeared on the surface of the purse, and considering the cool weather that night, one can surmise that the sweat came from the robber as he ran off clutching the purse with the victim in pursuit.)

Then, the flash vision shifted to the robber's clothes, during which Garfield continued.

"他衣服上有一些土，這會告訴我們他去過的地方。既然錢包上沒有任何來自他曾經去過的地方的土，這表示歹徒是剛剛搶到錢包的。" (Traces of dirt were smeared on his clothes, which pinpoints the locations he has been at previously. None of the dirt from his previous locations were present on the purse, therefore, the purse must've been recently obtained by the robber.)

Soon, the blade of the knife held by the robber came into focus.

"歹徒手上的刀子有血。" (The robber's knife is smeared with blood.) Garfield echoed, during which the scene shifted immediately to the victim as she clutched her ribs and he continued.

"另外，被害人已經超越月經的年齡，她手又拿著一張有鮮血的布，這表示她是在搶劫過程被歹徒刺傷的。" (In addition, the victim is already beyond the age where a period could be expected, she's also holding a cloth with blood, which means that she was stabbed by the robber during the robbery.)

END FLASH VISION

Ia̍p looked quite impressed as Garfield finished his explanation, and he looked at Melissa firmly.

"我不曉得妳的看法是什麼，但我可以說您兒子將來會有一個偉大的未來，李小姐。" (I don't know about you, but I can say that your son's got a bright future awaiting him, Ms. Lee.) Ia̍p said to her.

Melissa smiled. "多謝您的讚獎，葉警員。" (Thank you for the kind words, Officer Ia̍p.)

Ia̍p nodded as he tipped his cap as they turned towards Garfield, who was looking at the squad car holding the robber as it pulled away from the scene.

* * *

_September 3, 1968_

**Location: Ottawa, Canadian Capital Territory, Canada**

Fast forward to six years later, the now-fifteen year-old Garfield Wu was crossing the Bronson Avenue Bridge over the Rideau Canal at 8:07, on his way to his first day of school at Glebe Collegiate Institute.

In the years following the night he stopped a wanted robber from making his getaway, Garfield had experienced a lot of changes in his life.

Before getting on with how he came to be crossing the Bronson Avenue Bridge on his way to his first day of school at Glebe Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, it is necessary to dive into his background.

Garfield Stephenson Wu (吳廣慶) was born on June 23, 1953 in the Civic Hospital in Ottawa to Gordon Wu (吳景源) and Melissa Lee, at a time when the former was completing his doctorate studies in Ottawa while working in the Japanese Embassy.

He was the oldest of four siblings, with David following two years later on December 15, 1955, followed by Diana and Emma ten months afterwards on October 7, 1956.

When he was six in 1959, the family moved back to Taiwan as Gordon was offered to teach at an then-new international university in Puli (埔里).

The family settled down in the small town, where Garfield spent the first half of his childhood, during which he began attending school and started taking up violin lessons while continuing his piano lessons.

Shortly after Garfield turned nine in 1962, the family moved to Taipei (臺北) when Gordon got a job transfer, which saw him teaching law and political science in the university he attended and graduated from years ago before military service and eventually international exchange to Canada in 1947.

It was that international exchange that introduced Gordon to Canada and he made several friends, including a middle-aged couple who will eventually witness Garfield's birth in 1953.

That middle-aged couple were Garfield Thompson and Arlene Kelly, who had no children of their own but had took in many university students in the past, including Gordon, who they came to view as a son of their own.

Garfield Thompson worked as a train operator for the Canadian Pacific Railway and was frequently out of town, while Arlene Kelly worked as a secretary in the Canadian Army headquarters.

It was Gordon who decided to name his first-born son after the train operator, and during his stay with the Thompsons, he became familiar with Ottawa and acquainted with the Thompsons' family and relatives.

Anyways, over the course of his growing up in Taiwan, Garfield became fluent in Taiwanese Hokkien, Mandarin Chinese and Japanese, in addition to the brief level of English introduced to him during kindergarten and the English classes in school.

After Garfield graduated from elementary school in 1965, a week after turning twelve years old, Gordon received an offer for a two-year exchange to Canada, in which he will be teaching in Vancouver during those two years.

Gordon and his wife Melissa debated on the offer, and eventually the family decided to move back to Canada.

Arriving in late-August, the family decided to settle in a small apartment in Metrotown, one of the neighbourhoods of Burnaby.

As the family settled in Burnaby, Garfield and his siblings were enrolled in the nearby public schools. It was during that time that Garfield also joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, a youth organization that promotes interest in aviation and joining the Royal Canadian Air Force.

He also made plenty of friends in school, and it was a sad feeling for him when his father's exchange term was ending in the early summer of 1967.

The year that Canada celebrates the centennial of Confederation.

It was Gordon and Melissa that decided that the family should move back to Ottawa after some discussion, with Gordon returning to Taiwan to continue his work.

The day the family decided to move back to Ottawa was June 30, 1967, and they had informed the Thompsons of their return.

It was Garfield Thompson who picked them up at Ottawa Union Station after the family got off the train from Vancouver, and the family was invited to stay at the Thompsons' place in the interim while Gordon and Melissa searches for an apartment to rent.

One thing worth mentioning was that Garfield has a huge passion in trains and anything transportation-related.

As a young boy, he will often drag his parents to the nearby streetcar terminal to watch the streetcars and buses go by. His parents will also take him to downtown at times so he can watch the trains pulling in and out of Union Station and he enjoyed watching airplanes taking off, landing and taxiing during air trips when waiting for their flights at the airports.

Most of his toys were buses, tractor trailers and trains, and his drawings typically consists of buses, trams and trains, and he also enjoyed collected model trains, mainly in the N-scale.

He also had the pleasure of taking a ride on the then-brand new Shinkansen in Japan when he accompanied his father to a conference in Tokyo in the winter of 1965, and as a souvenir, he bought a N-scale model of the 12-car bullet train.

In addition to transportation, early on Garfield has developed an interest in martial arts and detective stories.

His eyes frequently catch sight of those that would be anything but the obvious, and he has the mindset and imagination to piece together everything into a complete picture, a complete picture whose description by him would be a spot-on match with what was actually presented.

He was also a fast learner in martial arts, culminated by his attendance of martial arts clubs after school during his youth, and Garfield has looked up to the likes of Yip Man and Bruce Lee.

He frequently practiced the moves in the front yard, and more often than not, he would engage in practice matches with his brother David, who likewise shared his passion for martial arts.

Anyways, eventually, the family rented a small house in the Alta Vista neighbourhood and Garfield was subsequently enrolled in Hillcrest High School for the 1967-1968 school year while David, Emma and Diana were enrolled in the nearby public school.

It was also during his ninth grade school year did Garfield's transfer to an Ottawa-based Royal Canadian Air Cadet squadron from his old squadron in Burnaby was approved. His new squadron is based in RCAF Station Uplands, which is located in Gloucester South near the new Ottawa Uplands Airport.

The family's stay in their house didn't last long. In the spring of 1968, Melissa, who by then was now working in the Ogilvy's department store branch in the nearby Billings Bridge Plaza, bought a house in Ottawa South just a few blocks from where the Thompsons lived.

As a result of the purchase, the family moved back to Ottawa South in the summer and the kids were transferred schools.

And that's how Garfield Stephenson Wu was walking northbound down Bronson Avenue at 8:07 in the morning, about to cross the bridge over the Rideau Canal, en route to his new school: Glebe Collegiate Institute.

Garfield was feeling anxious as he walked along the major road. Watching a streetcar speeding by, he was thinking what kind of interesting people will he meet and befriend in Glebe.

Those thoughts continued to cloud his mind as he approaches the school building.

* * *

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	2. The first day at school

Chapter 2: The first day at school

Garfield arrived at the front steps of Glebe Collegiate Institute and proceeded to take off his flat cap as he entered the front doors. On his way to the front main hallway, he stopped by a newspaper rack and saw the three stacks of newspapers.

Two were English newspapers, the _Ottawa Journal _and the _Ottawa Citizen_, and the third was a French newspaper, _Le Droit_. He swiftly picked up a copy of each of the three newspapers before making his way to the front hallway.

From his school bag, he took out a flat, plaque-like plastic tablet that contained the layout of the high school. Pinpointing his current location, he made his way to the nearby stairwell, headed downstairs and arrived in the cafeteria in the basement.

The place was crowded with students as they read the bulletins displaying each of the students' homerooms for the first day of school.

Being in tenth grade, Garfield made his way to the sophomores section and walked to the far side bordering the juniors' section, given the fact that the names are arranged alphabetically through the students' surnames. With his surname of "Wu", Garfield knew that he would be in the far end of the section.

After finding his name and homeroom number, Garfield left the cafeteria and made a left turn before finding the stairs.

His homeroom is located on the top floor, which means he was quite out of breath after reaching the top of the stairs.

Consulting his map and pinpointing his current location, Garfield saw that he has to walk through the narrow hallway right in front of him, during which he saw the entrance to a physics classroom of sorts, based on what he saw inside the classroom in question through the open door.

The hallway certainly looked rather hauntingly deserted, as with the central stairwell that began near the cafeteria and includes a doorway leading to the main front lobby and the auditorium at the first floor.

Of course, he simply attributed the characteristics to the lack of windows at the stairwell and the cream-white colour of the walls accompanying the narrow hallway he was walking through.

Eventually, after reaching the south end of the narrow hallway, Garfield turned right, walked through the double doors and eventually arrived outside his homeroom.

Upon deciding to settle and sat by the window facing north across the door leading to his homeroom, Garfield took out the three newspapers he had picked up earlier at the main entrance and started reading them, starting first with the _Ottawa Journal_.

As he scanned through the pages, Garfield glanced at his golden watch to check the time. He still had fifteen minutes before the bell is to ring and signal the students that they should be heading for their classrooms.

Garfield read through the pages, had a chuckle when he read the editorial cartoon and then put down the paper and picked up the _Ottawa Citizen_.

While doing so, he looked around and spotted a group of other students gathering at the nearby lockers already.

He was surprised by how the group were already utilizing the lockers across the hallway from where he was seated at. _Perhaps they already got their school timetable and locker numbers during the summer._

Speaking of summer, he remembered fully how he had spent the entire month of July and the first half of August in summer training camp for cadets. His camp is located in RCAF Station Bagotville, which is located in a small town several miles north of Quebec City, from which it takes six hours to drive to get to the small town.

Garfield had plenty of fun memories in summer training camp and made a lot of friends. It was also during his time there that he became fluent in French.

Among the group of students were a trio of boys with short black hair and wearing glasses, and he noticed one of them to be particularly close with a blonde-haired girl.

The bigger surprise, though, will be his spotting of two other students within the group who seemed particularly close.

One of them was a boy with shaggy-style black hair and he appeared to be of South Asian descent. _Maybe he's from India or Pakistan_, Garfield thought to himself.

The other student close to the boy in question was a girl with chest-long black hair, and she appeared to be of East Asian descent. _She's probably from Korea or Japan or maybe China,_ Garfield thought before noting the different ethnicities of the couple he was glancing at.

_I wonder if their parents approve of their relationship_. Garfield thought to himself. After all, the society norms of the day made it rather weird for a cross-ethnic relationship.

_Well, as long as their relationship is pure and honourable and their parents are okay with it, I don't see why that should be my business_. Garfield thought before shrugging and carried on reading the remaining two newspapers.

One thing worth noting was that during his time in Toronto and in Hillcrest High for grade nine, he had also started studying French and has pretty much become literate in the language and can write, though he never actually carried on in a conversation in the language until his time in Bagotville in the past summer.

Garfield did know that across the Ottawa River, over in Hull, Quebec, most of the people speak French, as with people living in the province of Quebec.

He was reading the editorial pages of _Le Droit _when the bell rang, Swiftly, he put down the paper, placed it in his school bag and got up before walking across the hallway into the classroom.

As he walked into the classroom, the loudspeakers in the hallways started playing _I Got You Babe, _a rock song written and performed by Sonny and Cher.

The tune was rather catchy especially with the percussion, and Garfield nodded with the beat as he made his way into the classroom.

After he took a seat near the front of the classroom, he noticed that two of the guys with glasses he saw earlier also entering the classroom.

Garfield didn't say a word as he took out his pencil case and binder loaded with notebook paper before looking around.

The teacher appeared to be middle-aged, perhaps in her 40s. Like him and the two other boys, she also wore glasses.

Some time went by as the classroom begin to fill with students. He noticed a boy of African descent entering, two girls also of East Asian descent and several more other students, among them being two blonde-haired girls, a boy who may be of Hispanic descent and a couple of girls wearing hijabs and appeared to be of Middle-Eastern descent.

By that point, the school's radio station had finished playing _I Got You Babe _and started playing Johnny Cash's _Ring of Fire_.

The opening mariachi-style trumpets caught his attention, and as the rest of the band began playing, Garfield find himself nodding intently at the lyrics and rhythm of the piece.

_It sure is brilliant for him to add those mariachi-style trumpets into this piece. _Garfield thought to himself as he enjoyed the piece.

Eventually, the bell rang and then the performance of the national anthem, followed by the morning announcements came from the main office.

The class for first period was Canadian History, and his teacher is Ms. Charlotte McMillar, who appeared to be in her mid-40s.

Once the morning announcements ended, she introduced herself to the class before handing out the students' timetables and took attendance.

After that, she then introduced the course and went through the objectives before proceeding with a class activity.

Garfield took the time to study his school timetable and took note of his locker number.

Seeing that his locker is also located on the third floor, he figured that he can spend lunch period walking around the hallways to find his locker.

His second period class was Orchestral Music, and the teacher goes by the name of Mr. George Pesci, who was a violinist in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra with a brief stint as concertmaster prior to taking up music teaching.

As with the previous class, most of the class was spent on going through the course outline and objectives, though for this class, after the introduction to the course, the rest of the period was spent on listening to a rather-interesting live recording of a performance of Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1, a performance that took place in April 6, 1962 with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra featuring a famous and eccentric Canadian pianist.

Eventually came lunch period, and Garfield made his way to the cafeteria after washing his hands in the washroom.

He was new to the school, so he didn't know anyone just yet. As a result, out of habit he decided to sit at the corner of a table near the middle of the cafeteria by himself, right at the end facing the cafeteria's corridor.

As Garfield ate his sandwich with some rock music playing from the loudspeakers, he looked around and noticed a trio of girls seated at the table next to his.

The girls were all chatting in Cantonese, which he knew is predominantly spoken in Hong Kong and Macau.

_我想她們三人都是香港人。(I suppose all three of them are from Hong Kong.)_ Garfield thought to himself as he took another bite. _說到這個，不知道粵語和客家語有沒有很大的相似點。 (Speaking of which, I'm not sure if Cantonese has major similarities to Hakka.)_

He shrugged as he continued to finish his sandwich, and a short while later, he was about to munch on an apple when two of the girls left the table, probably to grab some lunch, and the third girl turned towards him.

"Excuse me." She said to Garfield, who looked up to her, as she nodded at the chair beside him. "Are you using this chair?"

"No." Garfield shook his head. "You can take it."

"Thank you." The girl nodded as she took the chair and Garfield resumed eating his apple.

A few minutes went by before the girl asked him, "So where are you from?"

Garfield thought that she may have become curious about the topic due to his appearance suggesting a certain ethnicity similar to hers and that of her friends, or perhaps on account of the accent in his voice.

"Taiwan." Garfield replied before resuming eating.

The girl nodded understandingly before her two friends returned with their lunches and took their seats.

The rest of the lunch period went by without anything significant for Garfield, and once he finished his lunch, he packed up his lunch bag, got up from his seat and headed out of the cafeteria, intending to take a walk around the block.

It was during his walk that he located his assigned locker. It was in the area in the third floor that struck to him as where the French classrooms are located.

Swiftly, he took out the green combination lock he has been using since attending Hillcrest High School and hooked it on the locker door before proceeding to put his school bag and lunch bag in the locker.

After locking his stuff in the locker, Garfield carried on with his walk around the block.

Along the way, he walked past the group of students he encountered earlier in the morning and glanced by as he noticed one of the couples cuddling while the others were sat close to each other and chatting with the rest of the group.

Anyways, after lunch period came his third period class: Career studies.

The teacher is Mrs. Diana McPhee, who, like Ms. McMillar, appeared to be middle-aged and appeared to be stern but fair. Looking around, Garfield recognized a handful of students from his History class and another from his Music class.

Eventually came the final period class, which was Science, and the teacher is Mr. Gerald Wilkinson, who appeared to be of easy manner.

Prior to the class, he noticed one particularly tall boy with rough-looking hair, which made him thought he was a bully of sorts, maybe a jock.

Garfield shrugged as he sat in his seat on the east side of the classroom and paid attention to the teacher as he went through the course introduction.

After the bell rang at 15:00, Garfield and the rest of the class headed out and he made his way to his locker to grab his belongings and head home for the day.

That Tuesday was a rush for him, as that evening was also the first day of the cadet training year.

His squadron, one of the three local squadrons forming an Ottawa-based air cadet wing, has two training days per week. One on Tuesday and the other on Thursday. As a result, he had to arrive home early for homework, dinner and then head off to Uplands for the training night.

As he walked along Bronson Avenue on his way home, he wondered what interesting events awaits him in Glebe.

* * *

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	3. An encounter with the Sloans

Chapter 3: An encounter with the Sloans

_September 26, 1968_

The first four weeks of Garfield's attendance at Glebe Collegiate Institute went by like a flash. During the course of those four weeks, he had came to established some typical routines.

One of those routines was him carrying a portable phonograph with him into the cafeteria during lunch period so he can listen to a few gramophone records of his while eating lunch, and that phonograph was decorated with his various drawings of buses, trams, trains and aircraft.

On the fifth of September, he made two new female friends in Science class, both of whom took interest in his apparent smartness and his abilities to make keen observations, which will later be proved well when they worked together in a lab the day after.

Also, during Orchestral Music class, he attracted the attention of several classmates and the teacher with his superb violin-playing and skilled piano-playing. As a consequence, he was made the student concertmaster of the school orchestra, with practices taking place every Monday and Wednesday after school.

That role as a concertmaster also enabled Garfield to learn conducting from Mr. Pesci, and there has been occasions where he conducted the school orchestra in Mr. Pesci's absence during practices.

Currently, the orchestra has Richard Wagner's Symphonic Ring, the complete first set of Antonín Dvořák's Slavonic Dances, George Enescu's Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 and Schubert's Ninth Symphony, the "Great", as their repertoire for upcoming concerts during the school year.

Garfield really enjoyed Orchestral Music class and taking part in the orchestra practices. All the practices had further reinforced his interest in classical music.

It helps with the fact that he has dozens of classical music records and has a gramophone record in his bedroom, specific for him to listen to the music conveniently.

In addition, Garfield has came to regularly tuning into CBC's classical music radio and television programs everyday, particularly after school and after he had finished his homework when he's free.

Anyways, Garfield started to make more friends during those four weeks, including the guy in Science class who he thought looked like a jock that could give him trouble. Garfield learned that his name is James Smith, and contrary to first impressions, he is quite the cheerful and easy-going-type.

He also made a handful of friends in his Career studies class, particularly after making a presentation.

The presentation in question was about the students' chosen future careers, with each student presenting two careers. Garfield's chosen two careers for the presentation were that of an architect and a cartoonist.

In the two weeks leading up to the presentation, the students do their research on their picked careers and present their findings in a slideshow, together with images or drawings to accommodate the slide show.

They were also given the option of playing their slideshow while playing music with the classroom's phonograph, provided that the music they're playing doesn't distract the presenter.

Eventually came the day of presentation, and prior to the first presentation, the students were asked to grab a number sheet from a hat without peeking.

Garfield got the number thirteen, while his friend Casey got the number three. However, Casey haven't quite finished his slideshow.

As Mrs. McPhee continued to walk around the classroom with students picking numbers, Casey turned to Garfield and after discussing the numbers they've got, Casey asked, "You mind if I swap numbers with you, Garfield?"

"Sure, no problem." Garfield shrugged. After all, he was finished with his slideshow and was anxious to get on with his presentations. As a matter a fact, he was hoping that he will get a number that is before ten.

"Great." Casey smiled as they traded their number sheets. "It's just that I haven't finished my slideshow."

"Not a problem, Casey." Garfield said. "I was looking forward to presenting today anyways."

Eventually came Garfield's turn to present, and his presentation instantly made him popular with the whole class, particularly with the humour he used as he presented along, together with his drawings and figures in the slides.

"Way to go, Garfield!" Eleanor Neals praised after Garfield finished his presentation and returned to his seat. "That was a great slideshow!"

"Thanks, Ellie." Garfield replied with a smile as he took his seat.

Outside of class, Garfield also made a handful of friends during lunchtime, including with a girl named Morley who took interest in his portable phonograph and the drawings on it.

However, it was also during this time that he attracted the scorn of a couple of sisters, though no fault of his own.

Denise Sloan shared the same first name initial as his younger sister Diana Wu, but beyond that, the Grade 10 student has nothing in common with Diana. In fact, she couldn't be any more different in terms for personality than Diana.

For starters, Denise was quite the obnoxious girl who was known to be spoiled and self-centred, armed with the motto "My way or the highway". She wasn't the type that will admit fault, and she would often accuse her fellow schoolmates of something she would be equally guilty of.

Her older sister Linda, who is in Grade 11, was nowhere better. In spite of her attractive appearance, her face rather lacked character, and her demands for respect without earning them has been the source of great irritation from other students.

In a sharp contrast, many of Garfield's classmates has found him to be friendly, sensible, shy and witty with a sense of humour, not to mention greatly amused by his gift of making keen observations.

The fact that Garfield, who had barely transferred to Glebe at the start of the school year, was already becoming a popular student became a source of jealousy and friction from the Sloan sisters, who were never popular.

His lack of interactions with Denise, who shares his Career Studies and Science classes, didn't stop her from subjecting him to disparaging remarks, though his increasing number of new friends has frequently sprung to his defense, which further irritated the younger Sloan sister.

Of course, Garfield himself would largely shrug off whatever disparaging remarks the Sloans would subject him to, though that hasn't stopped him from thinking of something clever to say to get back at them.

Even before he started to tangle with the Sloans, Garfield had a very good idea on their family background.

Their father Brian is a barrister and investor who has invested in several ventures across town, which has left the family financially wealthy, hence the fashionable dresses the sisters always wear at school.

Their mother Michelle doesn't work, not that she needed to, given the lavish lifestyle that came with the wealth, and it is also known that the Sloans hire the services of about half a dozen servants.

With the extravagant lifestyle came with the rather spoiled personalities the sisters were known for, and their interest in money and social status has also been a source of irritation from their schoolmates.

That late afternoon, as per usual, Garfield was on the Route 4 streetcar, en route to the airport for the evening cadet training night.

His summer work dress uniform consists of a dress shirt with a name plate labelled "WU", shoulder slip-ons that indicated his rank of Sergeant (Consisting of three chevrons worn downwards with the word "Cadet" at the bottom), the shirt tucked behind a pair of dress trousers and wearing a belt with a brass buckle.

On top of that, he was wearing the issued drill ankle-high boots, along with the issued wedge cap and his trademark green-gold watch, in addition to be holding a small briefcase carrying his notes.

The journey will see him transfer from the streetcar onto the Route 83 bus at Confederation Heights, which terminates at Uplands Airport. In the course of the ride to the airport, the bus drives through the air force base in which the barracks housing the squadron is located at.

His brother David is also en route to the training, though unlike Garfield, David managed to get a lift from a classmate whose brother is in their squadron.

After disembarking from the streetcar at the Confederation Heights streetcar/bus stop on Heron Road, Garfield joined plenty of the commuters in waiting for the Route 83 bus to show up.

As he looked around, Garfield noticed a navy officer walking towards him, en route to the nearby pedestrian crossing.

Without missing a beat, the cadet sergeant immediately stiffened as he raised his right hand to render a military salute and barked, "Sir!"

The officer in question, a captain, placed his hand up in response and nodded in acknowledgement before placing his hand back down, and Garfield followed suit.

Garfield arched his eyebrows briefly, given that it isn't exactly everyday that he would encounter a member of the Royal Canadian Navy, who, like their counterparts in British and Commonwealth navies and in the United States Armed Forces as a whole, salutes with their palm facing downwards, which is a contrast to members of the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army, who, like their counterparts in the UK and other Commonwealth nations, salutes with their palms facing forward.

From what Garfield gathered, there are stories that the Royal Navy salute with the palm facing downwards originated from Queen Victoria decreeing that sailors and officers of the fleet will salute palm down after being saluted by a member with a dirty palm, and it was something that was subsequently passed down to Commonwealth navies, including the Royal Canadian Navy.

It was in that brief moment that Garfield glanced around and his thoughts came to a halt when he spotted two familiar-looking girls within the crowd of people waiting at the streetcar/bus stop.

Of all the familiar-looking people from school he had ran into while waiting for the Route 83 bus, it had to be the Denise and Linda Sloan.

Both sisters were wearing the same dresses they wore that day at school, and Garfield could see that they seemed anxious to get somewhere.

Suddenly Denise and Linda saw Garfield, who nodded in greeting. Denise curtly returned the nod, while Linda didn't give an indication of even seeing Garfield at all.

Fortunately, the awkward silence was broken when the OTC 1966 New Look signed "83 UPLANDS" began to pull up.

Once the bus came to a stop, Garfield followed the crowd as they boarded the bus at the front door, during which he noticed that the Sloans were also lining up to board the bus.

_她們一定是要去機場的。 (They must be heading for the airport.) _Garfield thought to himself as he stepped onto the bus and flashed the transfer he obtained from his ride on the streetcar.

The front of the bus was already packed with commuters heading home in the suburbs in the afternoon rush hour, and as a result, Garfield and a number of other passengers began to shuffle towards the rear.

As the bus began to pull out of the stop, Garfield, who managed to obtain a seat near the rear door, glanced up and saw the Sloans standing near him.

For a while, neither of them spoke a word as the bus made the left turn onto Riverside Drive.

"Should've figured that we'd see someone like you hoarding the seat like that." Linda suddenly spoke.

Garfield was deep in thought when she made the remark, and the older Sloan sister prompted as she continued, "I'm talking to you, Garfield Wu."

Immediately, Garfield snapped out of his thoughts and turned towards the Sloans, who were both staring at him quizzically.

"Beg your pardon?" Garfield raised an eyebrow.

"I said that we should've figured that you would hoard that seat like that." Linda said as Denise nodded at the seat Garfield was seated at.

"And to think that a military guy like you wouldn't have any issue standing for a long period of time." Denise added with a snort. "Feet giving you trouble?"

"Not as much trouble as being being cramped up in a rented car during your return drive from Prince Edward County this past weekend, I suppose." Garfield replied. "Especially after both of you had to deal with a clumsy servant at your cottage there."

Both Denise and Linda's mouths dropped open, and Denise demanded, "How could you possibly know that?!"

"Simple." Garfield said. "My eyes tell me that on the inside of both your right shoes, where the sunlight shines on it, the leather on both shoes are scored by five almost parallel cuts. It is obvious that those cuts are caused by someone who has carelessly scraped around the edges of the sole in order to remove the crested wet sand from them."

Then, nodding towards the bus window, Garfield continued, "This past weekend was right before the fall equinox, and the weather in both Ottawa and Prince Edward County was sunny. It's not everyday that you both would use public transit, not when you and your family are going away to spend time together far away from the busy lifestyles of a city, for any of the dresses you've worn would've had the wear and tear from the bus or streetcar seats."

The frown on Denise and Linda's faces deepened as Garfield sniffed briefly and continued, "Besides, both of you carry the air that would suggest that the car you've rode in on your way to school the past four, five days was a rental and that the water you've enjoyed yourselves in came from the Saint Lawrence."

With his eyes staring at them both squarely, Garfield concluded, "Hence, as you can see, my double deduction that you both spent your weekend at your cottage in Prince Edward County with a clumsy servant and that the ride home was far from comfortable as a result of the car being a rental instead of the family car you both are very much used to."

The sisters only stared at him blankly, and Garfield swiftly pulled out his pocket watch to check the time before glancing out of the window briefly.

By this point, the bus had just passed under the CN Rail bridge and is approaching Hunt Club Woods.

Before one of the sisters could say something, Garfield turned towards them and said, "Oh, and allow me to offer a free piece of advice."

When the sisters both maintained their stares at him, Garfield continued, "If you would like to make yourselves more popular among your schoolmates, consider treating them with respect and kindness, since respect is earned, not demanded."

Eventually, as the bus began driving through the community and passengers began to flock off the bus when it pulls into the stops, the Sloans proceeded to grab a seat near the rear end of the bus.

The rest of the ride was largely in silence between the trio until the bus began to approach the stop closest to the barracks, and Garfield immediately pulled the bell as he stood up and get ready to disembark from the bus.

As that happened, the Sloans turned towards him and Linda said, "Hey, Garfield."

Garfield paused to turn towards the sisters briefly with his eyebrows arched, and the older Sloan sister said, "You should know that kissing the butts of your leaders wouldn't get you anywhere for your future."

Garfield only arched his eyebrows further briefly before he shrugged and said dismissively, "Whatever you say."

It was then that the bus slowly pulled up into the bus stop, and as soon as the 1966 New Look came to a complete stop, Garfield proceeded to disembark through the rear doors without another word.

Once the doors closed and the bus took off, Garfield paused briefly before he shrugged and resumed marching towards the barracks.

_很高興我知道要在史攏姊妹被寵壞的事實上面提高警覺。 (It's a good thing that I've maintained a firm grasp of my guard regarding the fact that the Sloan sisters are quite the spoiled people.) _He thought to himself, during which he also remembered gathering about Michelle's ambition that Linda marry into a socially-prominent family.

_我真的替Linda的未來丈夫感到抱歉。 (I sure feel sorry for Linda's future husband.) _Garfield thought.

Clearly, with regards to Linda's character, whoever her future husband is will need to get a firm grasp on the obvious unless he himself shares a lot in common with the older Sloan sister.

Once again, Garfield shrugged at the thought as he arrived at the entrance to the barracks.

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	4. A close-call and a theft

Chapter 4: A close-call and a theft

_October 9, 1968_

More than a week went by since Garfield had his run-in with the Sloans on the Route 83 bus, and he has since further settled into his usual routine at school.

Having had gotten settled in with the school work and continuing to make new friends, Garfield has find himself with more and more people willing to sprung to his defense whenever the Sloans make disparaging remarks about him.

Anyways, that day, he and the school orchestra went on a trip to Almonte to participate in a joint orchestra practice with their counterparts at the Almonte and District High School, which was part of a series of joint practices leading to their upcoming performance in a concert.

Because of the practice at Almonte, Garfield and his classmates in Orchestral Music class were excused from their other classes for the entire day.

After meeting up at Ottawa Union Station at 8:00, the school orchestra boarded the 8:15 Canadian Pacific train bound for Chalk River, later arriving at Almonte at 9:23.

Their practice of Wagner's Symphonic Ring went through like a breeze, and it was only a matter of time before lunch period came.

As the two orchestras break for lunch, the students given permission to head into town, provided that they stay together as a group and return back to school before third period.

Garfield was in the company of two of his friends and another two students from Almonte District High School as they returned back to school after lunch in town, and the five were chatting casually as they crossed the CP Rail tracks on Bridge Street.

"The weather's sure gettin' chilly lately." One of the students from Almonte, whose name is Jack and plays the oboe, remarked as they walked past the town hall.

"Tell me about it." One of Garfield's friends from Glebe, whose name is Rowan and plays the trombone, nodded. "It's only a matter of weeks before it starts snowing."

"Yeah." The second student from Almonte, whose name is Paul and plays the cello, agreed before he turned towards Garfield and asked, "You never had any snow in Taiwan, don't you, Garfield?"

"Being located right on the Tropic of Cancer makes it impossible to snow unless you're in the mountains." Garfield replied. "That said, Taiwanese winters can be humid and cold with a lot of precipitation outdoors, as opposed to the dry cold winter here in Canada."

"True." Jack nodded thoughtfully, but before he could continue, Janet, who is the only girl in the group and plays the flute in the orchestra, gasped in horror.

"What the...?" Rowan trailed off as the boys followed Janet's gaze, where they quickly get a firm grasp of the situation.

Just across the bridge, they saw a little girl about five years of age darting onto the roadway.

A dusty-brown moving van, turning from Union Street onto Bridge Street, was barely a yard away from her. The driver of the van vigorously sounded the horn in warning, and the girl, momentarily confused, ran directly in front of the van.

"Holy moly!" Jack exclaimed, and the group of five quickly rushed across the bridge.

Fortunately, the girl managed to cross the road safely and pull herself up onto a low wall, which formed one side of the bridge.

However, a second later, as the van sped down Bridge Street, the girl lost her balance and toppled off the wall out of sight.

"Oh no." Paul caught his breath as Garfield wordlessly sprinted over to the spot where the girl had toppled off the wall.

Reaching the side of the bridge, Garfield peeked over briefly before he turned towards his schoolmates.

"She landed on the side of the river!" He reported before waving them over and added, "Come on!"

As quick as foxes, the group of five raced down the embankment and approached the girl. The left side of her body was in the water, and she was unresponsive.

"She better be-" Jack began and trailed off, not wanting their worse fears to be confirmed, as Garfield managed to pull the girl out of the river.

After a quick examination, Garfield was relieved to see that the girl was still breathing normally and that no water has entered her mouth or nose. In addition, there was no indication that the girl had suffered from any broken bones.

Immediately, Janet knelt down and gently picked the girl up, and with the help from the boys, the group carried the girl up the embankment.

Just as they returned onto the sidewalk, the front door to the child's house, located at the northwest corner of the intersection between Bridge and Union Streets, flew open and an elderly woman rushed out, crying, "Nicole! Nicole!"

"I'm sure Nicole's all right." Jack said to the woman.

"What happened?" The woman asked.

"She fell off the bridge." Janet said as the others made a brief resume of what had taken place moments earlier.

By that point, a slightly-younger woman hurried from the house and joined them. "What just happened to Nicole?"

As the woman nodded thoughtfully, Garfield suggested, "She's going to be all right, though perhaps it's best that we bring Nicole into the house and lay her on a couch."

"Yes, yes." The second woman nodded and opened the screen door while the other directed. "This way."

Janet carried the little burden through a hallway and into a small, Victorian-fashioned living room while Garfield and the others followed.

The minute she laid the little girl on the couch, Nicole began to murmur softly and gently turned her head from side to side.

"Looks like she'll come to in a couple minutes." Paul said.

As they watched Nicole intently, the two women promptly introduced themselves as Margaret and Jessica Stephenson, great-aunts of Nicole.

"Nicole and her brother Nicholas, who's at school right now, lives with us." Jessica, the older sister, explained. "We're bringing them up."

Garfield arched his eyebrows briefly before he said, "I suppose it's safe to say that something happened to their parents, eh?"

"Unfortunately." Margaret nodded. "A tragedy took their parents away, may the Lord rest their blessed souls."

The others nodded thoughtfully and were about to say something when Nicole opened her eyes and looked around.

Seeing the strangers accompanying her great-aunts, specifically Janet, the little girl asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Janet." Janet introduced herself. "And these are my friends Paul, Jack, Rowan and Garfield."

"Did you see me fall?" Nicole asked.

Janet nodded as Margaret explained, "She and her friends rescued you from the river after you fell off the bridge."

Nicole began to cry. "I'll never, never run onto the bridge like that, really I won't!"

"I'm sure you won't." Janet smiled as she patted the little child, and the girl smiled up at her.

There was a consensus among the five students that while Nicole was alright, it would be best for them to stay around to see if they can be of any assistance.

While Janet went to help Margaret in getting Nicole changed into drier clothes, Jessica turned to Garfield and asked, "While Nicole is getting changed, would you come with me to get some medication and wet compresses for the lump on Nicole's forehead, Garfield?"

"Absolutely." Garfield nodded.

"In the meantime, is there anything else you would like us to do to help, Ms. Stephenson?" Rowan offered, gesturing towards Jack and Paul as he spoke.

"I don't think it would be necessary, but thank you." Jessica replied.

"In that case, we should head back to school now." Paul said.

"Then, we'll see you guys there." Garfield nodded.

"Thank you for the help." Jessica added as the three boys took their leaves.

"You're very much welcome, Ms. Stephenson." Jack nodded.

As Garfield followed Jessica into the kitchen for the first-aid cabinet, the older woman said, "It's a good thing you and your friends were nearby when Nicole had her fall, Garfield."

"She and her brother must be very precious to you and Margaret." Garfield offered.

"Indeed." Jessica nodded. "You see, Margaret and I brought up Nicole's mother, who was an only child and was orphaned years ago as a little child. The same thing happened to Nicole and her brother. Their parents were killed in the Altamirano train crash four years ago during their trip in Argentina."

"They must not have any other close relatives from their father's side." Garfield observed.

Jessica nodded again. "Their father Derek was likewise an only child, and his own father was an only child that was orphaned following the Halifax Explosion."

"Holy moly." Garfield remarked. "Given that Nicole looks very healthy and happy for a girl her age, I'm sure that she likes it here."

Jessica smiled. "Margaret and I are doing the best we can with our small income, though it doesn't always suffice, especially when you take into account of having to bring up her and her brother."

Garfield nodded thoughtfully as Jessica continued, "We just sold some old furniture to the two men in a dusty-brown moving van. We don't know who they were, but I suppose the price was all right."

Thinking about the young siblings, Jessica said, "Both of them are young now, so Margaret and I are able to manage for now. It's the future we're worried about. We're dressmakers, but the days in which our fingers are very nimble with the needle are behind us."

"I can see that." Garfield nodded again. "Of course, the Old Age Security and the new Canada Pension Plan benefits can provide you both the relief you need, but I don't see it being sufficient as living costs soar and both of you reaching the retirement age before Nicholas reaches the minimum age for work."

"Indeed." Jessica shook her head. "Fact is, early on we weren't sure if we would be able to take care of the siblings after their parents were killed, but we decided to give it a try, and now we wouldn't part with Nicholas and Nicole for anything in the world, not when they've won our hearts completely."

Garfield nodded thoughtfully as Jessica went on, "Unfortunately, their parents left very little money, though they were very intelligent and both Nicholas and Nicole are going to be like them when they grow up."

"You're thinking they could take up the arts and have a college or even university education." Garfield interjected.

"Yes." Jessica nodded. "Unfortunately, with our small income, I high doubt we would be able to provide them those."

"Not unless they managed to win a scholarship or receive other forms of financial aid." Garfield offered.

Finding Garfield to be a sympathetic listener, Jessica continued, "A cousin of our father's named Bruce Stevenson used to help us. Before he passed couple months ago, may the Lord rest his blessed soul, he would always come to pay us long visits and help us financially."

With a sigh, Jessica continued, "He was a very kind man and was very generous with his money. In fact, I feel a little embarrassed to say that Margaret and I have come to depend on his promise to remember us in his will for our plans for Nicholas and Nicole. Oddly enough, he never followed through with that promise."

Garfield arched his eyebrows but offered no comment. The last remark did give him pause, though. _史蒂文生先生__是按怎(為什麼)__會改變心意? _(_What could've possessed Mr. Stevenson in changing his mind?_)

"Bruce went to live with some other cousins. After that, things changed." Jessica continued. "He rarely dropped by for a visit, but a few weeks before he passed, he came by here and told us the same thing - that Margaret and I were to inherit some of his sizable fortune from him. It is peculiar for him to always help us and stop suddenly."

Turning towards Garfield, she then added, "Perhaps you're acquainted with our well-to-do cousins that he went to stay with, over in Ottawa. They're the Brian Sloans."

"If they have Denise and Linda as their daughters, then Paul, Janet and I know them alright." Garfield said.

"That's them all right." Jessica nodded, and Garfield detected a hint of coolness in the woman's voice in mention of the Sloans. "I hope a fine young man like you don't make a habit of being around the likes of them, do you?"

Garfield arched his eyebrows briefly before he said, "Well, let's just say that the number of things we don't see eye to eye on has only increased after I figured out that they spent the last weekend of summer in their cottage at Prince Edward County with a clumsy servant and that they were crammed in a rented car for their drive home."

"Oh, is that right?" Jessica drawled. "How did you figure?"

"The same way I figured that you and Margaret decided not to marry after the accident that orphaned Nicholas and Nicole's mother." Garfield replied.

Jessica was surprised, which was when Margaret and Janet returned with Nicole in tow. The little girl had changed into a plain dress and wearing a robe.

Having had overheard the last part of the conversation, Janet said, "Don't worry. Garfield's always like that."

"Like what?" Margaret asked.

"Being able to figure out acute details of people through plain old observation of the clothes and positioning." Janet said. "A gift of his, you could say."

"Yes." Garfield nodded. "Forgive me if I have intruded."

Jessica and Margaret glanced at each other before the older sister waved her hand dismissively and said, "Don't think that would be necessary, you're quite the fine young gentleman."

Garfield nodded slightly. By this time, Jessica had selected a few items from the chest and was making her to the refrigerator for some ice cubes.

While arranging the items on a tray, Jessica continued, "Well, when Cousin Bruce passed, much to our astonishment, Brian Sloan produced a will that made him executor of the Stevenson estate and left all the money to him, his wife and the two girls."

"Yes, a lot of us at school did read about that in the paper." Janet recalled. "I take it that the estate is a sizable one, eh?"

"We understand that there's considerable money and assets in it." Jessica explained. "Some of Bruce's other cousins and relatives say he told them the same thing he told us and they are planning to launch a court challenge about the matter, which would be hopeless."

Garfield studied Jessica's face as he placed his fingers by his chin. "But you both have a feeling that a later will _exists_, even though no one has presented it as of yet."

"That's pretty much right, Garfield." Margaret nodded.

After watching Margaret apply the cold compresses on the lump on Nicole's head, Garfield and Janet are convinced that the little girl was alright.

"If there's nothing else for us to be of assistance, we need to return back to school now." Janet advised.

"Of course." Jessica nodded.

"Come to see me again soon." Nicole spoke up. "I like you and Garfield, Janet. You both are amazing."

Garfield chuckled as Janet answered, "You can count on it. We like you too. You're a good sport!"

After the little girl's great-aunts profusely thanked Garfield and Janet again for the rescue, the two schoolmates made their way to the front door.

They have barely reached the front door when Margaret suddenly said, "Jessica, where is our silver teapot?"

"Why, right there on the tea table-" Jessica stopped at mid-sentence when her eyes widened, "-oh dear, it's gone!"

Margaret raced into the dining room. "The silver dog statue, candlesticks and teaspoons! They're gone too!"

Startled by the news, Garfield and Janet both stopped at the doorway.

"You mean that the pieces have been stolen?" Janet asked.

"They must have been." Jessica replied. "By those fiends that bought some furniture from us!"

At that remark, Garfield's mind instantly flashed towards the scene he and his friends witnessed the dusty-brown moving van.

GARFIELD'S FLASH VISION - Ten Minutes Ago

As he and his friends watched the moving van make the turn onto Bridge Street, coming close to colliding into Nicole, Garfield noticed the occupants in the cab.

Both men were wearing flat caps, one appeared short and heavy-set while the other, who's behind the wheel, appeared taller and skinnier.

However, it wasn't the panicked look on their faces that caught Garfield's attention. Rather, it was a hint of smirks on their faces as they made the turn from Union Street onto Bridge Street.

END FLASH VISION

"Who were they?" Janet asked.

"Oh, how could we have fall for their racket, Jessica?" Margaret wailed. "We don't know who they were. They just knocked on the door and asked if we have any old furniture that we'd like to sell. Don't think we will get the silver back!"

"You will, which means you need to contact the police." Janet advised.

"We could, if our phone is working." Margaret said.

Garfield turned towards them. "Then, I'll head over to the Town Hall and telephone the Carleton Place detachment. What did they look like?"

"Both were wearing light brown flat caps, one looked short and heavy-set, the other tall and skinnier." Jessica explained.

"Both of them had kind of large noses." Margaret added. "That's all I noticed."

"Same here." Jessica added.

"Then, I better get moving now." Garfield said hastily before he dashed from the house and sprinted across the bridge towards the Almonte Town Hall.

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A missing will and stopping a robbery

Not long after he arrived at the Almonte Town Hall, Garfield wasted no time approaching the front desk and requested to use the telephone.

As soon as his call to the Ontario Provincial Police detachment at Carleton Place was connected, Garfield introduced himself to the sergeant at the other end and told about the robbery, providing him as much details as he could about the suspects and the dusty-brown moving van they were driving.

The sergeant promised to send a couple of constables to the address and issue the alert, which covered Lanark County in its entirety and neighbouring Renfrew County, owing to the likelihood of the suspects making their way to neighbouring Renfrew County.

After thanking the sergeant and hanging up the telephone, Garfield promptly made his way back to the high school, where Janet, Paul, Jack and Rowan had already provided Mr. Pesci a resume of the events that occurred on their way back from town.

"Dang." Mr. Pesci was saying as Garfield joined in. "I hope the Stevensons recover the stolen silver and that the police catch those pesky thieves."

"I hope so too." Garfield nodded. "They just issued the alert."

The rest of the afternoon was filled by the continued practice of the school orchestra, and in time the students from Glebe and Mr. Pesci boarded the 15:42 Canadian Pacific train returning from Chalk River to Ottawa, arriving at quarter after five.

Throughout the 90-minute train ride, Garfield had plenty of time to discuss about the day's events as he sat next to Janet and their schoolmates.

"Based on what you guys said, it certainly sounded like those pesky thieves took advantage of those Stephenson sisters." Oliver, who plays the trombone in the school orchestra, remarked.

"Indeed it does." Garfield agreed. "Both sisters are barely scraping by while bringing up two young children, as it is right now."

"Don't you find it peculiar that Bruce Stevenson didn't bequeath some of his sizable estate to the Stephensons and other relatives who need the money, Garfield?" Janet turned towards him.

"It is peculiar in itself, made even more peculiar by the possibility of the existence of another will." Garfield offered. "Should it be found, it is bound to change their situations for the better."

"I most certainly hope so." Janet nodded. "Especially when it's a well-established fact that Mrs. Sloan and her daughters were never kind to Mr. Stevenson for quite some time before his passing."

"Claims that his eccentricities were wearing thin their patience." Oliver nodded in agreement. "And we all know what those Sloan sisters are like."

"There is nothing to suggest that the Sloans had anything to do with charitable inclinations." Garfield interjected. "Even when they can afford all those cottages they own, including the one in Prince Edward County that they spent the last weekend of summer at with a clumsy servant."

"Now that you've mentioned that, Garfield, I sure wished I was on the bus that day when you made that particular deduction." Carly, who plays the viola in the orchestra, remarked. "I'm certain it was satisfying to see the surprised looks on their faces when you did that."

Garfield only smiled lightly as Oliver said, "Practically, the only thing close to charitable the Sloans ever did was giving Mr. Stevenson a home after his wife passed."

"And it was only because they knew he was going to bequeath his vast fortune to them." Carly replied. "Makes us wonder what could've possessed him to move in, though I don't suppose it takes much to figure that he'd probably rather put up with things than move frequently."

Neither of the four friends knew Mr. Stevenson personally, but they all gathered about the rumours that frequently spread around town. In particular, the Sloans' treatment of Bruce Stevenson was the subject of a lot of unfavourable comments in town.

It all started after the old man's wife died following a brief illness. After that, he had made his home with various relatives and friends.

Many of the rumours substantiated that all those people had admitted that he had paid his board and done them many favours. In return, they have been very kind to him, and in spite of their less-than-ideal financial situations, had tried to keep him happy and comfortable.

"Say, Janet, does your father know about Bruce Stevenson?" Oliver said. "After all, as a well-know barrister in town, I'm sure he might know a thing or two about him."

"That, he does." Janet nodded. "For starters, Mr. Stevenson had publicly declared his intention to provide in his will for several deserving relatives and friends. Then, three years before his death, the Sloan family, who never had a hint of interest in him, had suddenly experienced a sudden change of heart and begged him to make his home with them."

"Which he consented and subsequently moved in." Carly interjected.

"Yes." Janet nodded again. "Shortly after, my father gathered that the old man had decided to leave all his money to them."

Even as Bruce Stevenson's health was failing, he continued to maintain a firm grip on life, though as time marched on, he became more and more unhappy.

While he continued to live with the Sloans, it was rumoured that he frequently slipped away to visit his other relatives and friends, and that he intended to amend his will again.

"When you put it that way, it sounds like there's got to be a later will out there." Oliver remarked.

Janet agreed. "Unfortunately, on the day he passed, his words to the attending doctor were unintelligible, other than the word 'will'."

"And as we all gathered, after the funeral, only one will turned up, which awarded the entire fortune to the Sloans." Oliver said.

"Sounds like Mr. Stevenson was trying to tell the doctor something about another will, which he had hidden in some place where the Sloans would have great difficulty finding." Carly interjected.

"If that was the case, then it's very likely that fate cheated him of the opportunity." Janet said.

"Hasn't anyone made any concreted effort to locate another will?" Oliver frowned.

"Well, Mrs. Stephenson mentioned the likelihood of the other relatives filing a claim, declaring they were told another will had been made in their favour." Garfield spoke up. "But until it is located, there's nothing to suggest that the matter could go any further."

"Even if it isn't fair to the other relatives?" Carly asked.

"Afraid not." Janet shook her head. "It is legal even if it isn't fair."

"And besides, the last thing the relatives need is for false hopes to puncture their lives further." Garfield added. "They don't need the burden to twist data to suit theories when it's supposed to be the other way around."

The other three nodded, and nothing more was said between the friends about the matter for the rest of the train ride.

About the time Garfield had finished his remark, the train had just pulled out of Carleton Place station, and he resumed looking out the window as the train began to cross into the Canadian Capital Territory with Ashton coming up as the next stop.

* * *

_October 10, 1968_

Before he left for school that morning, Garfield phoned the Stephensons and was relieved to hear that Nicole had suffered no ill effects from her fall.

However, he wasn't surprised that the police haven't provided any updates onto the progress of the investigation pertaining to the thieves who had stolen the silverware.

"Do let me know if you learn anything." Garfield instructed, and Margaret promised to do so.

His school day went by as usual, and it was that late evening when he and David were at their twice-weekly air cadet training in Uplands.

During break time, Garfield decided to sit at some of the canteen chairs as the cadets gathered for snacks and other refreshments at the stand.

As he observed a trio of corporals at a nearby table playing cards, Garfield caught a glimpse of Flying Officer Marvin Nash, who works as a barrister outside his time in the RCAF Reserves and is also Janet's father, walking by the stand with Pilot Officer Roger Larrison, who is a station sergeant with the Ottawa police.

Just as the sergeant got up from his seat, the two officers spotted him and walked towards him, prompting him to stiffen and raise his right arm up in salute.

"Good evening, Sergeant Wu." Flying Officer Nash said in greeting as he saluted back.

"Evening, sirs." Garfield nodded as he put his arm down. "How are you?"

"We're both doing good, thank you." Larrison replied. "The night is young."

"Indeed, sirs." Garfield agreed. "The weather's nice, too."

"Yes, indeed." Nash nodded. "Quite a shame that a certain couple of sisters can't enjoy this nice weather without the clouds from a certain theft."

Garfield nodded. "No doubt Janet told you about the Stephenson sisters and their difficulties."

"Indeed she has." Nash replied. "It was quite the story, the two of you rescuing their grand-niece, gathering word about their situation with the Stevenson estate and the theft of those silverware."

"No doubt about it, sir." Garfield said. "In fact, it's probably safe to say that the pair of brothers who the Stephenson sisters came close to marrying are among the relatives that are affected by the estate situation in the same way."

"How'd you figure?" Nash asked before pausing and said, "Oh, now don't tell me. It's likely the same way you figured that I've previously enlisted in the Air Force and served in JAG as a paralegal before earning my commission, all without Janet tell you."

"More or less, sir." Garfield shrugged. "In addition to you having had been briefly attached to the US Air Force JAG detachment in South Vietnam as a Corporal."

Nash arched his eyebrows briefly as Larrison turned towards him with an amused look on his face, then the flying officer said, "Right. Either way, I digress, you are correct, Mr. Wu. There are others affected by the estate situation in the same way."

Inhaling briefly, Nash continued, "For instance, two young women who live on Dwyer Hill Road, near Burritts Rapids in Rideau. I don't know their names, though I understand that they were great favourites of Mr. Stevenson, even though they're not related to him."

"And like the Stephenson sisters, they're having financial difficulties and could use some extra money." Garfield interjected.

"Exactly." Nash nodded.

There was some silence between the trio, then Garfield prompted, "Sir, don't you suppose that Bruce Stevenson made a second will?"

"To be honest, I don't really know what to think, Mr. Wu." Nash replied as Larrison nodded in agreement. "However, something did happen nearly a year ago that might indicate that Mr. Stevenson at least intended to write another will."

"What sort of indication?" Garfield raised an eyebrow.

"It was in the CIBC branch in the Billings Bridge Mall." Nash replied. "I was there on a business matter when Mr. Stevenson came in with Calvin Henderson."

"Who specialized in wills and other estate matters." Garfield interjected.

"Yes." Nash nodded. "Now, I'm certain that whatever they were discussing would be considered protected by client-attorney privilege, so I've carried on with my business before leaving. However, on my way out, I overheard Mr. Stevenson making an appointment to further discuss a will the next day at Henderson's office."

"On the surface, it does sound very likely that he did make a new will." Garfield nodded thoughtfully. "Though I suppose Mr. Henderson's silence on the matter following Mr. Stevenson's passing meant two possibilities."

Extending the two main fingers of his right hand, the sergeant continued, "One, either he never have drawn a new will for Mr. Stevenson in the first place, or even if he did, Mr. Stevenson might have changed his mind again and had it torn up."

"Very likely indeed, Mr. Wu." Nash agreed.

"Sounds like there's something about the case that has intrigued you, if I may say so, Mr. Wu." Larrison remarked as he turned towards Garfield.

"You could definitely say that, sir." Garfield nodded as he turned towards the pilot officer. "After hearing the Stephenson sisters' story and their difficulties, not to mention the sisters being taken advantaged by those furniture thieves, I feel that I owe it to Mr. Stevenson himself to have his estate settled for good."

"As in seeing to it that his more deserving relatives and friends actually receive the money they need from his sizable estate?" Nash raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly, sir." Garfield replied. "It's the least I could do after gathering about the way he was treated by the Sloans."

* * *

_October 11, 1968_

The following late afternoon, after school is out for the Thanksgiving long weekend, Garfield and his family, along with their family friends Garfield Thompson and Arlene Kelly, were at Billings station for the 18:23 Canadian Pacific train to Prescott.

It was a family trip to Arlene's sister Vicki's place in Manotick for Thanksgiving dinner, and like previous outings, much of the 30-minute train ride to Manotick station was largely uneventful.

After the train came to a stop at the Manotick station platform, the group of seven disembarked and made their way towards the parking lot.

As that was happening, some of the crowd members at the platform suddenly become aroused by something, prompting Garfield to glance up.

"Stop! Thief!" Someone shouted.

There was some gasps as some of the crowd members got shoved or pushed aside, and Garfield instantly found the source of the disturbance, for not too long after, a man can be seen rushing out from the crowd and sprinting towards the parking lot with a purse in hand.

Instinctively, Garfield leaped into action as some of the crowd members murmured, during which one of the people that had just disembarked from the train rushed over to the station building for the telephone.

The attention of the crowd was soon drawn towards Garfield as he swiftly jumped and grabbed onto the edge of the station building's roof, and before Melissa, Arlene or Garfield Thompson could call him out, he managed to effortlessly lift himself up onto the roof.

"What's he doing?" He can hear one of the crowd members murmur, during which he swiftly turned towards the parking lot, in time to see the thief rushing past an idling delivery truck towards Route 8.

Without missing a beat, Garfield promptly jumped from the roof and as he approaches the ground, he spun around stretched his left leg out and kicked the side of the truck, which sent him towards the thief.

By the time some others rushed towards where he had landed, they can see the thief laying on the ground subdued with Garfield pinning his wrists down.

Garfield simply panted as he looked up, in time for his mother Melissa, his brother David and sisters Emma and Diana to rush over.

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	6. Further discussions at the ByWard Market

Chapter 6: Further discussions at the ByWard Market

A short while later, Manotick Station was buzzed with law enforcement activity as police officers took the purse-snatcher into custody while witnesses provide their statements.

In their statements, many of the witnesses quickly pointed out Garfield's quick-thinking as the reason for the capture of the purse-snatcher.

As the police continued to gather statements from the witnesses, the would-be purse-snatching victim turned towards Garfield and said, "I really don't know how I should thank you for your quick-thinking."

Garfield waved his hand casually. "No need to thank me, I'm just doing what I thought needed to be done the minute I heard your scream."

"I'm glad you did." The woman nodded. "My sister Barbara would probably lose her head had that thief got away with my purse, especially when we're tight on money and my purse has what we need to make ends meet."

"I can imagine." Garfield nodded as he examined her briefly. "Must've been a lot of hard work on the farm and commuting to the city to sell your produce everyday."

"How'd you figure?" The woman raised an eyebrow, briefly taken aback by Garfield's accurate assessment.

"First off, the roughness on your hands and arms would suggest work that is heavy in labour." Garfield replied. "Second, the speckles of dirt on your dress would suggest that you frequent a place that is very rural, far away from the city's downtown, and third, with the sun setting and you disembarking the train here in Manotick, everything from that aspect deduces that you're returning home and that you're living and working on a farm, given that the markets close and that no one would be doing labour-intensive farm work after sundown."

The woman nodded thoughtfully as she said, "You are correct. I do live in a farm, and I do sell produce at the market for a living."

Before the woman could continue, Garfield heard his name being called by Arlene, prompting him to turn towards them.

Seeing that Vicki has arrived, he quickly turned towards the woman and said, "I going to have to take my leave, my family friend's sister, who lives in Manotick, has arrived to pick us up for our Thanksgiving dinner at her place."

"Ah, glad to hear." The woman brightened. "My sister and I do have Thanksgiving dinner coming up, though I'm afraid to say that our dinner won't be exactly on par with those that are well-off may expect."

"No need to feel embarrassed." Garfield shrugged. "It's the effort you put into making the dinner that counts the most, along with everything you're thankful for."

The woman smiled. "By the way, my name's Anita Brooks. My sister and I live on Dwyer Hill Road, near Burritts Rapids at the south end of Rideau."

"Garfield Wu." Garfield introduced himself as something in his mind clicked. "My family and I live in Old Ottawa South, near Carleton University."

As Garfield shook Anita's offered hand, he continued, "By any chance, you wouldn't happen to frequent the ByWard Market to sell your produce everyday?"

"Indeed I do." Anita nodded in confirmation. "Sometimes, Barbara joins me in selling produce, especially on days when we've had a large harvest."

Garfield nodded before he stepped back. "Alright, I gotta go now. It was nice to be of acquaintance with you. Take care and have a happy Thanksgiving."

"Thank you very much, and same to you and your family." Anita smiled before Garfield proceeded to take his leave.

* * *

_October 16, 1968_

That afternoon after school, Garfield was seated with Janet, Oliver, James and Carly on board the Route 4 streetcar as they headed downtown, en route to the ByWard Market.

For the past three weeks, the five have been spending Wednesday afternoons after school at the ByWard Market helping out Carly's parents, who runs a restaurant there.

It was a routine that began three Wednesday prior, with Garfield's mother Melissa working evenings at Ogilvy's and his younger siblings given the free roam to hang out with their friends for that afternoon, and a chance agreement to tag along with the four led Garfield to take on the habit of joining them every Wednesday.

During the streetcar ride, Janet confided that her father had spoke to Mr. Henderson earlier that week about the case.

As things turned out, Mr. Stevenson never returned as promised, so Mr. Henderson never had the chance to review the new will, if it was even drawn up in the first place.

Owing to the legal requirements for any new will, typed or handwritten, to be witnessed, coupled with the risk of anyone drawing up a will that cannot be broken without any legal assistance, there exists the possibility for the Sloans to exploit any potential loophole in Mr. Stevenson's later will as grounds for it to be voided.

"Dang, that definitely sounds very risky." James remarked after Janet explained.

Janet nodded before she confided that her father had also gathered the names of the friends living near Burritts Rapids that are expected to be provided for from Bruce Stevenson's will.

"Their names are Anita and Barbara Brooks." Janet said.

Garfield nodded. "Well, it just so happened that I had ran into Anita Brooks last Friday."

"What was the occasion, Garfield?" Oliver asked as the streetcar made the turn from Gladstone Avenue onto Bank Street.

"Stopping a purse-snatcher at the train station." Garfield replied. "It's a bit of a long story, though she did tell me that she sets up stand at the ByWard Market selling produce."

"Ah, that's good to know." Carly remarked. "You thinking we should drop by her stand along the way?"

"That's what I was thinking, too." Janet nodded. "Perhaps she may have some ideas on Bruce Stevenson's will."

James, Oliver and Garfield all nodded in agreement as the latter said, "We'll soon find out about that."

A short while later, the five disembarked the streetcar at the stop on the intersection of Rideau and William before proceeding towards the market after the pedestrian crosswalk light turned green and halted street traffic on Rideau.

Anita and her sister Barbara were restocking their stand when Garfield and his friends arrived, and for a brief moment, neither of the sisters noticed their presence.

"So this is their stand?" Oliver asked Garfield as they approached the stand.

"Yes." Garfield nodded towards Anita, who turned around as he made the remark.

"Garfield!" Anita smiled as she saw him. "It's good to see you again."

"Indeed it is, hope I'm not interrupting, Anita." Garfield smiled back as Anita walked towards him and his friends.

"You're not." Anita replied.

"Ah, so you're the gentleman that stopped that thief from getting away with Anita's purse last Friday." Barbara exclaimed as she turned around and joined Garfield and her sister.

"That's me alright." Garfield replied.

Immediately, Barbara extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to finally be of acquaintance with you, Garfield. You have no idea how much trouble you've saved Anita and I when you stopped that thief."

"I'd imagine." Garfield replied as he shook Barbara's extended hand. "I just did what needed to be done."

Barbara nodded before she noticed Garfield's friends and added, "And I see you've brought some friends along with you."

"Indeed I have." Garfield nodded back before he stepped back and gestured towards his friends. "James Smith, Janet Nash, Oliver Merrick and Carly Adamson, meet Anita and Barbara Brooks. Carly's parents run Adamson's Diner on George Street, where we go help out on Wednesday afternoons after school."

Carly extended her hand first. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Barbara smiled as she shook Carly's offered hand.

Introductions over, Anita said, "It's very nice of you and your friends to drop by, Garfield."

Turning towards Carly, she then added, "And your parents have bought some produce from our stand, they're very nice folks."

Carly smiled as Barbara said, "Unfortunately, our tight budget doesn't allow us to have the luxury of going to your parents' restaurant for lunch. I'm sure your folks are kind enough to offer us a discount, but we don't want to give them any trouble by asking for charity."

"Not to worry." Carly replied. "I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if you sisters ask for a discount."

"Anyways, we're not having any more discussions about money." Barbara said. "Today's Anita's birthday, and after we close down the stand for the night, we're going out for a special dinner."

"Really?" James asked before he turned towards Anita and added, "In that case, happy birthday, then."

"Yes indeed." Garfield turned towards Anita. "Happy birthday to you, Anita."

After Oliver, Janet and Carly issued their birthday greetings to Anita, the younger of the two sisters said, "Thank you all for your birthday wishes. Normally, Barbara will also bake a cake for the occasion, but our wheat harvest this year has prevented us from having enough grain to make one."

The five friends shared glances with each other before Garfield glanced at his pocket watch.

"We're running late with our engagement with Carly's parents, but after we finish up there, we're going to do something about your birthday cake situation." Garfield said to the sisters, and his friends all nodded in agreement.

"We won't take long." Carly added, prompting the sisters to nod.

* * *

A couple hours later, after the five friends finished up at Adamson's Diner, they headed straight for the nearby bakery store first thing.

Anita and Barbara were in the process of closing down their stand for the night when the five friends returned with a cake in hand.

Upon approaching the sisters, Garfield, who was holding the cake with his left hand, opened the package to present it to them, prompting them to gasp.

"You all shouldn't have." Anita said.

"Oh, nonsense." Carly waved her hand dismissively. "It's the least we could do."

Soon, Barbara lead them to the picnic tables at a nearby park, where they set up the plates and utensils.

"Oh, the cake is simply marvelous!" Anita exclaimed once they got the cake out of its package.

"Freshly-baked." Oliver interjected as he got the candles out.

At the insistence of the Brooks sisters, Garfield and his friends decided to stay for the impromptu birthday party.

After gathering together to sing "Happy Birthday" to Anita, the group looked on as Anita blew out the candles, prompting cheers from them.

With the cake cut into slices, Anita received the first slice and took a bite into it, nodding approvingly as she savoured the taste.

"It's really fresh." Anita said.

As the others delved into their pieces, she added, "But what makes this enjoyable the most was your kindness in helping us with the birthday celebrations."

"Yes indeed." Barbara agreed as she turned towards Garfield and his friends. "We wouldn't be having this much fun if it weren't for you five."

As Barbara made the remark, Anita, who had finished her slice of the cake by that point, walked to the nearby public piano.

Everyone else looked on as Anita sat at the piano and began to improvise a tune, a tune that Garfield almost immediately identified as being from the overture to Franz von Suppé's operetta _Dichter und Bauer _(Poet and Peasant).

When Anita finished, everyone else applauded.

"That was very marvelous, Anita. You've got good hands for the piano." Oliver said.

"Yes indeed, not to mention a very good ear for music pieces." Garfield added.

"Thank you." Anita smiled. "I have always aspired to become a professional pianist, but as you probably know, the training is pretty expensive."

Garfield nodded thoughtfully. He and his four friends continued to chat with the Brooks sisters like they were old friends, and eventually, the five got up from their seats.

As Garfield and his friends got up from their seats, he noticed the gold wristwatch Anita was wearing.

"I gotta say that's a very beautiful, if not peculiar-looking, wristwatch you're wearing, Anita." Garfield commented.

"Thanks for the compliment." Anita beamed. "Uncle Bruce Stevenson gave it to me as a birthday present."

She then sighed before she added, "If he were only alive right now, things would be very different."

At the mention of the name, Garfield and his friends sat back down while he and Janet shared glances with each other briefly.

As Janet wondered if they're gonna pick up another clue to the possibility of Bruce Stevenson making a later will, Barbara interjected. "He wasn't really our uncle, but he was very much family for the both of us."

Barbara paused briefly when her voice broke, and for a moment, she couldn't continue. After gaining control of herself, she went on.

"He retired to live at the farm next door to us, back when our parents were still alive." Barbara said. "It seems all of our misfortunes came all at once."

"He was the dearest man you ever met." Anita said. "Some people would find him eccentric, but once you get to know him, you wouldn't mind his peculiar ways. He always told me that he would back me in a piano competition."

"Yes." Barbara nodded. "Uncle Bruce used to say Anita's fingers tender well with the piano and he wanted to pay for lessons with a famous teacher. However, he didn't say anything more about that once he went to live with the Sloans."

"Not that he liked it with the Sloans, though." Anita interjected. "They weren't kind to him, and he used to slip away to visit us."

"Uncle Bruce often spoke of us as if we were his own children." Barbara continued. "He brought us many nice gifts, but we loved him for himself and not his money. I remember, though, the very last time we saw him before his passing, he told us, 'I have a big surprise planned for you girls, which will make you girls happy. However, I cannot tell you now what it is. You'll see it in my will.'"

"Those were his very words." Anita said. "But then the Sloans got everything. He must have changed his mind for some reason."

"It's hard to believe he would forget, or worse, break his promise to us." Barbara sighed sadly.

"Wouldn't it be a pleasant surprise if a later will is discovered?" Anita added.

"Yes." Janet replied slowly. "We all gathered that Mr. Stevenson told other people he was leaving money to them."

"For instance, the Stephenson sisters." Oliver said. "Do you know them?"

"Slightly." Barbara replied.

"My father is a barrister, and he and us have acquired interest in this case." Janet went on. "He even mentioned you sisters, and to tell the truth, part of the reason we dropped by here was to discuss the case with you."

Anita impulsively grasped Janet's arm. "You say your father is a barrister? Barbara and I are positive that Uncle Bruce made a later will. If only we could engage your father's services to help us prove this!"

Garfield's eyes rolled towards Anita as he saw the cloudy sadness looming over her face, which prompted him to say, "And before you worry about having to pay him should you lose the case, remember that it's your birthday today and that it's an occasion for you to be nothing but happy."

"Indeed." Carly agreed. "We all made a special wish for you, in which you will inherit some of the Stevenson estate before you are one year older, so that you can take those piano lessons."

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